TIMBUKTU, Mali - As Islamists in northern Mali threatened to "open the gates of
hell," the United States is navigating one tricky quandary: how does it
help in the battle against the militants without violating its own policy?

U.S. policy prohibits direct military aid to Mali
because the fledgling government is a result of a coup.

No support can go to the Malian military directly
until leaders are elected through an election, said Victoria Nuland, the State
Department spokeswoman.

"We are not in a position to train the Malian
military until we have democracy restored," she said this week.

Though Islamist militant groups affiliated with al
Qaeda, such as Ansar Dine, are rampant in the north, they co-exist with other
anti-government opportunists, complicating U.S. involvement in an offensive
touted as anti-terror.